Background not out of focus

[digitalprinter0]

I have a Fuji Finepix S2950 and I am having trouble getting the background out of focus. Even on a large aperture I cannot throw the background out of focus. Can anyone help please.

[Rebel]

To be honest throwing a background out of focus using a bridge camera (the name associated with the type of camera you are using) is notoriously difficult , this is mainly due to the size of the sensor and the design of the camera itself as in the majority of instances unless you are an enthusiast (as we are) the majority of users want as much in focus as possible.

Unfortunately this means for the enthusiast using a background blur (also known as "bokeh") for creative purposes is extremely difficult.

In reality all you can do is open the aperture as wide as possible in your case this is F:5 and try standing at a reasonable distance from your subject with as much room behind the subject as possible. To be truthful you have purchased a camera with a huge 18X optical zoom which is as I said earlier designed to keep as much as possible in focus so you are going to struggle.

There are some software packages specifically designed to imitate the effect you are looking for as it may well be out of reach with the camera you own, also there are a number of ways of creating this effect with virtually every post processing package available, but you will need to learn the techniques to do this.

I am sorry I cannot be of more help here as I know exactly what you are trying to achieve and using a DSLR or even a standard 35mm SLR would make this effect so simple to achieve but in the days of digital bridge cameras with lenses like the one installed on your camera it becomes difficult and in some cases almost impossible

[digitalprinter0]

Thanks for the post and you in depth reply. I wish I had not bought a long zoom now.

[*bilzmale*]

Originally Posted by digitalprinter0

Thanks for the post and you in depth reply. I wish I had not bought a long zoom now.

It's not the long zoom alone that is the problem but two other factors come in to play. The first as Rebel mentioned is the size of the sensor - the bigger the better, and the second is the aperture and at f5 just about everything is in focus - often considered an advantage in point and shoot cameras.

It seems you are at a stage in your photography where you are looking for more and an upgrade is on the cards - most likely to a DSLR with interchangeable lenses or perhaps to a more compact mirrorless system. Ideally you need an APS-C size sensor and a lens with as low an f number as possible (eg 2.0 - 2.8) which adds to the expense and negates the advantage of an all in one bridge camera.

This is a path many of us have trod so and good luck. Please feel free to keep asking questions as there is a wealth of knowledge to tap into here.

[digitalprinter0]

I did not realise that the maximum aperture was so small, as I was more interested in the small aperature as I like landscapes. The minimum is only f11 I think at wide angle and less at full zoom. I went for this camera as it had image stablisation and was very light. What is APS please?

[fatman]

APS-C

Advanced Photo System type-C

In short, its the sensor size. Old SLR film cameras were full frame ( google full frame SLR or DSLR ) and some modern digital sensors are full frame.

Many digital consumer and pro-sumer cameras are APS-C format ( some people call these ' crop ' cameras because the sensor size is cropped down from full frame ).

Bridge cameras ( between a DSLR and a point and shoot compact ) have smaller sensors than APS-C, and there are other cameras that have even smaller sensors. Pentax Q is tiny

This is now a minefield, so i wont go into it now, but if you want ultimate control over your background, and other stuff, you will really need to upgrade.

You can still use a bridge camera if thats your bag, but look for a camera with a max aperture of something like f2.8, for those wide shots.

Otherwise, get a DSLR and some fast lenses

[digitalprinter0]

Regarding the sensor size of Bridge cameras and two of you mentioning APS-C (Advanced Photo System type-C). Would a camera with the following help me:
Optical sensor size: 1/0.0919 mm (1/2.33")

[livefortoday649]

What soft where on a Mac would help with my problem? Please can anyone suggest one?